Book Production
We have decades of experience producing large, top-quality higher education and professional-learning printed textbooks for the leading U.S. education publishers, including Pearson Education, Prentice Hall, Addison-Wesley, O'Reilly Media, Apress, IDG Books, and others. Large or small, simple or complex, we have the editorial and layout skills to make your product look beautiful and be error-free.
Film & Video Production
We keep up with the latest video and editing software, so we can capture your vision anew and/or provide professional editing services for footage you already have.
Closed-Circuit Video Production
Does your organization need a looped video or presentation for a public space, such as a lobby, waiting room, or curated visitor space? We can provide the level of production that you require—from simple to complex—for your display needs.
Smaller Print Resources Production
Entire magazines, pamphlets, brochures, advertisements for print or online, posters, or whatever your needs require to get your message out there—we can tackle it efficiently and professionally.
Consulting Services
Not sure what you need to get the job done? Give us a call and we're happy to give you a free consultation on how we can make it happen. Ongoing fee-based consulting services are also available.
Printed Materials
1812: A Tale of Cape Cod
1812: A Tale of Cape Cod (Illustrated) (2024) by Michael Fitzgerald.
- Page count: 142
- Hardcover trim size: 6" × 9"
- ISBN: 979-8-9852789-5-8
- The War of 1812, though not discussed often, remains an important historic time for Cape Cod. Learn about it in this easy-to-read fictional account of the history of this time (originally published in 1912). The principals of Once Was Media provided interior layout, original artwork, and cover design. We worked with Eastham Historical Society and Orleans Historical Society (of Cape Cod, MA) to produce new, original artwork, maps, and illustrations to enhance the historical content.
The Raven & Nevermore Collective
The Raven & Nevermore Collective (2025).
- Page count: 90
- Paperback: 8.5" x 8.5"
- ISBN: 979-8-9918634-4-5
- This beautiful new anthology combines three connected works of historical importance: The Raven (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884) by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Gustave Doré; The Philosophy of Composition (1846, 1907) by Edgar Allan Poe; and Le Corbeau (1875), French translation by Stéphane Mallarmé, illustrated by Édouard Manet. In this new version, the original artwork engravings have been laboriously enhanced with a richness of color to add further depth and moodiness to the overall phantasmic feel of the work.
Video Materials
Guardians of the Dunes
Welcome to this special preview of Once Was Media's documentary-in-progress, Guardians of the Dunes. This is an excerpt from a presentation given at the Highland House Museum in North Truro, MA on June 18, 2025. To see the 33-minute presentation excerpt, please click on the button below. And find out more about the project HERE.
In-the-Field Reporting
Follow Michael Payne into the wilds of Cape Cod to find the gravesite of Hezekia Doane, who died in 1781.
Support Our Film
Your support will help toward the production of our documentary, Guardians of the Dunes. The Radish Association is just one story highlighted in the film. With purchase of this fun, original t-shirt, you will be listed as a "Supporter" and "Honorary Member of the North Truro Radish Association" in the film's credits.
Meet Our Team
Michael Payne
Michael Payne
Michael Payne
EDITORIAL & DEVELOPMENT MGR
Michael Payne has worked in Higher Education educational publishing for more than 35 years. He has broad and deep experience managing the development and publication of books, software, video, and other content-rich media assets. Michael moved to Harwich, MA in 2016 and continues to enjoy the history and beauty of Cape Cod. He regularly volunteers with the Harwich Conservation Trust conducting guided constellation tours of the night sky from the Marconi Area observation platform.
Ralph Moore
Michael Payne
Michael Payne
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & TECHNICAL MGR
Ralph Moore is an acclaimed filmmaker who has proven that compelling storytelling doesn’t require extravagant budgets. His belief is simple: natural enthusiasm and a thirsty curiosity are keys to creating a film that will resonate with audiences. His debut short, iMistress, earned Audience Choice for ‘Best Short Film’ at the 2012 Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival. He has since written, directed, produced, and edited several no-budget shorts. In addition to his filmmaking pursuits, Ralph spends his time writing, editing, and lending his voice to multimedia training products for Pearson Education and others.
Vanessa Moore
Michael Payne
Vanessa Moore
PRODUCTION & MARKETING MGR
Over the past 33 years, Vanessa Moore has worked her way through the printing and publishing industries in New York, Boston, the Caribbean (St. Thomas), and currently Plymouth, MA. Since 1991, she has produced hundreds of textbooks for the leading national educational publishers, as well as monthly print and online magazines. She provides full graphic design services and self-publishing services for individuals and organizations who wish to bring to life their works of fiction and nonfiction in the forms of memoirs, cookbooks, poetry and short story compilations and anthologies, as well as custom artwork, and more.